Nipah alert in Bengal: 2 nurses critical, here’s how hospitals are gearing up to tackle cases

On December 15 and 17, the woman had attended a family wedding in Nadia. From there, she visited several places, including Shantiniketan. After falling ill, she was admitted to a medical college in South Bengal. The male nurse was on night duty at the hospital with the female nurse on December 20 and 21.

The condition of both nurses, aged between 24 and 25 years of age, is very critical. Due to severe infection in the lungs and brain (Encephalitis), both have been placed on ventilation. Contact tracing has begun to identify those they came into contact with.

A team led by Dr Sayantan Bandyopadhyay, head of the Infectious Diseases Department at AIIMS Kalyani, checked the nurses’ MRI reports and suspected something amiss. After testing with Nipah kits returned positive, their samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for re-verification.

Chief Minister and Health Minister Mamata Banerjee is personally monitoring the situation, officials said.

Health department on alert

The state Health Department is tracing everyone the infected individuals came in contact with. “All government and private healthcare units have been asked to report any patient showing symptoms—such as high-grade fever, acute respiratory distress, or encephalitis—immediately to the health department,” said a senior health official.

Dedicated isolation wards have been activated by private hospitals. Major private players like CMRI and Manipal Hospital have already initiated mock drills and specialised personal protective equipment (PPE) protocols.

“We stand fully prepared to manage any Nipah virus cases with our state-of-the-art isolation protocols. Being a NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers) -accredited multi-disciplinary hospital, our team has conducted recent mock drills following Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and West Bengal Health Department guidelines, ensuring rapid containment and highest standards of patient safety,” Sombrata Roy, Unit Head, C K Birla Hospitals, said. “We remain in constant coordination with state health authorities and are ready to support the National Joint Outbreak Response Team…,” he added.

The Nipah virus is a highly fatal zoonotic infection, with fruit bats being the natural reservoir and pigs identified as its host, Dr Tanmay Banerjee, HOD, Critical Care, Manipal Hospital, said. Transmission can occur through the consumption of contaminated fruits or date palm sap, and human-to-human transmission is both possible and well documented. Patients usually present with initial symptoms such as high-grade fever and acute encephalitis syndrome or acute respiratory distress syndrome, he explained.

“In our hospital, we are fully prepared with a dedicated isolation ward to manage suspected cases. All suspected patients will be immediately isolated and treated with strict infection control measures, including the use of appropriate and full PPE. Clinical samples will be sent to accredited laboratories to confirm the presence of the virus,” Dr Banerjee added.

There are two known strains of the Nipah virus, the NiV-Malaysia (NiV-M) and NiV-Bangladesh (NiV-B), he said. “The strain identified in Kerala has shown characteristics that lie between these two strains; however, the exact strain involved in West Bengal is yet to be confirmed. Given that the Nipah virus is extremely contagious and can have a mortality rate of more than 50 per cent, early identification, prompt isolation, and strict adherence to protocols will remain absolutely critical,” he added.

Dr Prabhas Prasun Giri of the West Bengal Doctors Forum urged citizens to avoid raw date palm sap and seek immediate medical care if a fever is accompanied by “altered behaviour” or confusion.

“Nipah virus is a serious and often deadly infectious disease. It can spread from animals to humans and also between people. Fruit bats are the natural carriers of the Nipah virus. Bats can contaminate fruits or raw date palm sap with saliva or urine. Humans may get infected by consuming contaminated food or sap. There is no specific cure, but early treatment saves lives. Seek immediate medical care for fever with altered behaviour,” Dr Giri added.

Central team deployed

The Union Health Ministry has deployed the National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) to assist the state. This high-level team is led by Dr Manas Kumar Kundu, Director, All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, and includes experts from NIV Pune and AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

Helpline numbers

The state has launched three 24/7 helplines for public queries and reporting:

033-23330140

9874708458

9836046212